Prime minister Sheikh Hasina lays the foundation stone of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka Medical College in the capital on Wednesday.
Stressing the importance of providing world-class healthcare facilities in the country, prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the government is working on it so that people do not have to go abroad.
‘A section of people go aboard for their medical treatment…I’ve no objection if the rich people go, but I don’t believe the same standard of treatment is not possible in the country,’ she said.
The prime minister said this at a programme after laying the foundation stone of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery at Chankharpool in the capital.
She said the country’s physicians are very much brilliant and they just need the scope to perform their duties. ‘We’re working to ensure medicare facilities for the country’s people.’
Talking about the Burn Institute, the prime minister said it will be a centre of excellence for burn and plastic surgery treatment, and reiterated her commitment to establish separate burn and plastic surgery unit at every medical college hospital across the country.
She said the government has taken all necessary measures to set up Chittagong and Rajshahi Medical Universities for creating scope for higher education and research in the medical sector, and these will be for research only postgraduate students.
The prime minister said web cameras will be set up at every hospital up to upazila level to consult expert physicians of renowned hospitals at home and abroad about complicated diseases.
She also laid emphasis on waste management of all government and private medical colleges and asked all concerned to make sure their wastes do not cause harm to public health.
Voicing deep concern seeing the old and dilapidated buildings at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Sheikh Hasina said these buildings will be replaced with new ones having modern facilities to provide better healthcare services to people.
‘In the name of preserving heritage, we’re using these [old] buildings, but these can collapse any time, killing may people,’ she said.
Coming down heavily on the section who always advocates for preserving century’s old buildings, Hasina said, ‘Many quarters advocate for preservation heritage. But it’s not possible to preserve every old building in the name of preserving heritage.’
She mentioned that the government will certainly preserve heritage which are necessary and possible to protect by applying modern technologies.
The prime minister said, ‘Life is more important than heritage and it’s the government’s responsibility to protect people’s lives. If anything happens everybody will hold the government responsible. The quarter which is very much concerned about protecting heritage will not take the responsibility then.’
Chaired by health secretary Syed Monjurul Islam, the programme was also addressed by health minister Mohammad Nasim, state minister for health Zahid Maleque, Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sayeed Khokan, Army chief Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq and project director Samanta Lal Sen.
The executive committee of the national economic council on November 24 last year approved the Tk 522 crore project for the establishment of the institute to be implemented with fund from the public coffer.
One of its main aims will be to produce burn specialists and plastic surgeons of international standards. The other objectives of the institute will be to train up nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists and staff specialised in dressings.
Initially, the institute will be able to produce 10 to 12 doctors every year who would attain the Master of Science in Plastic Surgery to be posted to different burn units, expected to be set up at every district under the institute. Currently, Bangladesh gets just two expert plastic surgeons a year.
It will have 500 beds, including 50 for the intensive care unit, 12 operating theatres (four each for the burn, emergency and plastic surgery units), and equipment such as burn tanks.
The approved money will initially be spent on building a 10-storey building in two years. Later, the building will have five more upper floors.
The building will have three wings meant for burn and plastic surgery, administrative and academic and outdoor activities.
Source: New Age
